The Island

Iceland
is not only closer than you think, but far different than you ever imagined.
Where else can you witness such marvels of Mother Nature as a tremendous icecap
and several glaciers, spouting geysers and steaming solfataras, volcanoes
(hopefully dormant), raging rivers and magnificent waterfalls, a multitude of
birds, cavorting whales just offshore and many other surprises? Iceland has a
population of just over 320,000 people, of which over half live in Reykjavik,
and with a land area just 20% smaller than England it is very sparsely
populated.

The Walking

Distances
in Iceland are large and public transport outside of Reykjavik is sporadic, so
to link all the walking places in Iceland the best way is by car. We have put
together holidays combining good walking
with visiting the ‘must sees‘ of the country all linked by self drive car. You
are unlikely to meet any other walkers in many places while walking around
Iceland which is a delight, but you need to be prepared for sudden changes in
the weather. Our holidays will appeal to those who not only
wish to see the major sites of this unique country but also to explore it close
up and not just from a car window. There is a choice of walks at most locations
for all abilities.

The Route

The itinerary has much to offer, with spectacular
waterfalls and remote mountains to ascend. The East and South has more dramatic coastal
scenery and glacier walking than the West and North of the island.

We are able to adapt the route to satisfy your
personal requirements, but will not be able to include locations one of our
team has not visited and experienced. The first and last days can also be
adjusted depending on time of arrival and departures.

Driving Around

Driving
in Iceland is a real joy. Although
some of the minor roads have dirt surfaces, all but a very short distance of
the main road round Iceland is paved and all rural roads are pretty empty. Reykjavik is busy and does have
some traffic jams at peak times but the rest of the country is traffic jam
free. The distances are large with long periods of driving without a building
or any other sign of human habitation in sight -
just spectacular scenery, mountain ranges to cross, mountain streams and rivers
to follow and waterfalls to spot. You will pass through isolated settlements
either for farmers or fishermen, and you look at their lifestyle with envy of
their spectacular views and setting and fear of what it is like to live so far
away from anyone else. We provide a booklet with detailed driving
directions.

Personalised
quotation

We will gladly send you a personalised quotation
for the holiday, duration and routing of your choice, we do not however offer
locations that we have not visited, or hotels we have not stayed in.

Walk Grading

Self-Guided
– A choice of Easy, Moderate & Challenging walks.

To view
the pricing for this holiday, please scroll down to "Pricing Details" tab below.

We have chosen mostly accommodation located on farms, an Icelandic speciality. You stay in the farmer's purpose built building which offer not only quality accommodation but the joy of staying in a rural environment. They are effectively small country hotels with all modern facilities, en suite rooms and television. Each of the families will provide you with an excellent dinner and breakfast featuring local produce some originating from the farm.

Day 1 Arrive Keflavik, the international airport
for Reykjavik. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight Reykjavik RO

Day 2 Transfer to Reykajavik airport for
early flight to Egilstadir and collect car hire and drive to Seydisfjodur from where you can take a local walk in the
area of this beautiful fjord. Overnight Seydisfjodur HB DD 17 miles

Day 4 The first of many spectacular coastal drives,
amongst the best in the world. Today you drive to Djupivogur a small fishing
village. If you arrive in time walk around the nearby headland and see the
reason why this area is famous for birdlife. Overnight Djupivogur BB DD 184
miles

Day 5 Continue along the coast skirting the edge of
Europe’s largest glacier, Vatnajokul. Stop at Skaftafell and undertake a walk to the edge of a glacier. Also stop en-route at the ice blue glacial
Lake Jokulsarlon to view floating icebergs. Overnight Kirkjubaejarklaustur HB
DD 187 miles

Day 6 Return to Skaftafell National Park where you have a choice of walks and
the possibility of a guided glacier walk. Overnight Kirkjubaejarklaustur
HB

Day 7 Drive on the latest section of highway 1 to be
completed allowing a circumnavigation only from 1974. Stop
in and visit Vik and take a walk to a fine viewpoint of the Glacier. Take a
short visit to the majestic waterfall of Skogarfoss and explore the area. Return car
and overnight Reykjavik RO DD 163 miles

Day
8 Transfer to the airport and fly home.

We can put together any combination of the days
above to fit the time you have and your particular interests. Just contact us
and we will discuss your particular requirements.

Iceland
enjoys a much milder climate than its name and location adjacent to the Arctic
Circle would imply. A branch of the Gulf Stream flows along the southern and
the western coast greatly moderating the climate. The walking season is short,
from middle of June to September with the first and last months being still
quite cold and could be interrupted by poor weather. The days have almost
endless daylight in June and July. Even in July and August you can have cold
days and there is always the chance of rain and storms. It is very rarely
'hot'.

There are daily flights from London Heathrow and London
Gatwick, as well as regular flights from London Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol,
Edinburgh and Glasgow. Points north of
London are closer to the destination so there is usually no flight supplement
on the base air seat price.

Car Hire

We include a rental car in all of our options.
When in Reykjavik we do not include a car as they are not needed in the city,
in fact they can be a liability. Our prices are based on a saloon car, we do
recommend that you consider a larger car or even 4x4 as driving distances can
be large and you may be driving on unpaved roads where a 4x4 is more
comfortable, these are at a supplement.